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Few Minutes (few + minute)
Kinds of Few Minutes Selected AbstractsA substructure shaking table test for reproduction of earthquake responses of high-rise buildingsEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 12 2009Xiaodong Ji Abstract When subjected to long-period ground motions, high-rise buildings' upper floors undergo large responses. Furniture and nonstructural components are susceptible to significant damage in such events. This paper proposes a full-scale substructure shaking table test to reproduce large floor responses of high-rise buildings. The response at the top floor of a virtual 30-story building model subjected to a synthesized long-period ground motion is taken as a target wave for reproduction. Since a shaking table has difficulties in directly reproducing such large responses due to various capacity limitations, a rubber-and-mass system is proposed to amplify the table motion. To achieve an accurate reproduction of the floor responses, a control algorithm called the open-loop inverse dynamics compensation via simulation (IDCS) algorithm is used to generate a special input wave for the shaking table. To implement the IDCS algorithm, the model matching method and the H, method are adopted to construct the controller. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the open-loop IDCS algorithm and compare the performance of different methods of controller design. A series of full-scale substructure shaking table tests are conducted in E-Defense to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and examine the seismic behavior of furniture. The test results demonstrate that the rubber-and-mass system is capable of amplifying the table motion by a factor of about 3.5 for the maximum velocity and displacement, and the substructure shaking table test can reproduce the large floor responses for a few minutes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Epileptic Seizures after Treatment with ThiocolchicosideEPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2001Pier Luigi De Riu Summary: ,Purpose: To report the occurrence of epileptic seizures in humans, closely related to the use of the centrally acting muscle relaxant thiocolchicoside. Methods: Description of three case histories. Results: Two patients, affected with complex-partial seizures, sometimes secondarily generalized, receiving antiepileptic therapy, were seizure free for 7 and 9 years, respectively. They had the reappearance of tonic,clonic seizures few days after the continued use of thiocolchicoside, at a cumulative dose of the drug of 52 mg and 76 mg, respectively. The third patient was brain damaged and without a history of seizures. He had a sudden, convulsive seizure a few minutes after 4 mg intramuscular thiocolchicoside. Conclusions: Our case histories indicate that thiocolchicoside has a powerful epileptogenic activity. This drug should be avoided in patients with epilepsy or acute brain injury and possible disruption of the blood,brain barrier. [source] Mimicking Natural Nursing Conditions Promotes Early Pup Survival in Domestic RabbitsETHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Gérard Coureaud In the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, mother,young relationships are based on restricted, once-per-day nursing interactions. Correspondingly, pups have evolved an efficient strategy of energy saving. Here we investigate under breeding conditions, whether matching or not, the once-daily nursing visit by the rabbit females has an effect on pup survival and growth. Two nursing regimen were applied to 89 primiparous (P) and to 78 multiparous (M) does: (a) one that matched the once daily nursing pattern (closed nest-box during the whole day except for a few minutes devoted to nursing) and (b) one that did not match it (24 h free nest access). In P females, the controlled nest access resulted in lower mortality between birth and weaning (8.1%) as compared to the free nest-access (18%). This effect was recorded from postnatal d 3,4 onwards. Both treatments induced different death causes (starvation (63%) in controlled-access regimen, and wounds and nest-soiling (29%) in free-access regimen). While both experimental nest-access regimens differentially affected pup survival in P or M females, they were without influence on pup growth rate in does of either parity. It is concluded that repeated nest visits by the female increase risks of injury to pups, and of out-of-time pup activation or sucking, and that, more generally, it plays against the ethophysiologigal strategy of biomass conservation evolved by rabbit newborns. The fact that the nest-access regimen no longer affected pup survival from the second parity suggests that the behaviour of multiparous does more adequately models the offspring demands. [source] Spectro-temporal sound density-dependent long-term adaptation in cat primary auditory cortexEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2008Boris Gourévitch Abstract Sensory systems use adaptive strategies to code for the changing environment on different time scales. Short-term adaptation (up to 100 ms) reflects mostly synaptic suppression mechanisms after response to a stimulus. Long-term adaptation (up to a few seconds) is reflected in the habituation of neuronal responses to constant stimuli. Very long-term adaptation (several weeks) can lead to plastic changes in the cortex, most often facilitated during early development, by stimulus relevance or by behavioral states such as attention. In this study, we show that long-term adaptation with a time course of tens of minutes is detectable in anesthetized adult cat auditory cortex after a few minutes of listening to random-frequency tone pips. After the initial post-onset suppression, a slow recovery of the neuronal response strength to tones at or near their best frequency was observed for low-rate random sounds (four pips per octave per second) during stimulation. The firing rate at the end of stimulation (15 min) reached levels close to that observed during the initial onset response. The effect, visible for both spikes and, to a smaller extent, local field potentials, decreased with increasing spectro-temporal density of the sound. The spectro-temporal density of sound may therefore be of particular relevance in cortical processing. Our findings suggest that low stimulus rates may produce a specific acoustic environment that shapes the primary auditory cortex through very different processing than for spectro-temporally more dense and complex sounds. [source] Behaviours of pulmonary sensory receptors during development of acute lung injury in the rabbitEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2007Shuxin Lin We tested the hypothesis that oleic acid-induced acute lung injury activates pulmonary nociceptors, that is, C fibre receptors (CFRs) and high-threshold A, fibre receptors (HTARs). Single-unit activity was recorded in the cervical vagus nerve and assessed before and after injecting oleic acid (75 ,l kg,1i.v.) into anaesthetized, open-chest, mechanically ventilated rabbits. Unit activities increased within seconds and peaked within a few minutes (from 0.3 ± 0.1 to 1.4 ± 0.9 impulses s,1 for CFRs and from 0.5 ± 0.1 to 1.7 ± 0.3 impulses s,1 for HTARs, both n= 8 and P < 0.05). These activities were sustained while pulmonary oedema developed and dynamic lung compliance decreased over the 90 min observation period. Activities in slowly adapting receptors and rapidly adapting receptors were also increased; however, their responsiveness to airway pressure stimulation decreased progressively. We conclude that pulmonary nociceptors are stimulated during acute lung injury. The dual nociceptor system, consisting of both non-myelinated CFRs and myelinated HTARs, may play an important role in the pathophysiological process of acute lung injury-induced respiratory responses. [source] A Novel Background Potassium Channel in Rat Atrial CellsEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Z. Shui A K+ channel activated by intracellular ATP has been observed in inside-out patches from rat atrial cells. The channel has a slope conductance of 130 ± 5 pS in symmetrical 140 mM K+ solution, and is almost independent of voltage over the range from -80 to +80 mV. There is no detectable inactivation during application of ATP over a few minutes. In the presence of 3 mM intracellular ATP, channel openings occur as bursts with a mean open time of 1.7 ms, a mean closed time of 0.4 ms, a mean burst duration of 18 ms and a mean burst interval of 41 ms. Kinetic analysis suggests that ATP mainly affects the burst duration and the burst interval of the channel. Based on the properties above, the channel differs from other known K+ channels in cardiac cells and may contribute to background K+ current. [source] A Graphene Oxide,Streptavidin Complex for Biorecognition , Towards Affinity PurificationADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 17 2010Zunfeng Liu Abstract In our postgenomic era, understanding of protein-protein interactions by characterizing the structure of the corresponding protein complex is becoming increasingly important. An important problem is that many protein complexes are only stable for a few minutes. Dissociation will occur when using the typical, time-consuming purification methods such as tandem affinity purification and multiple chromatographic separations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a quick and efficient protein-complex purification method for 3D structure characterization. The graphene oxide (GO)·streptavidin complex is prepared via a GO·biotin·streptavidin strategy and used for affinity purification. The complex shows a strong biotin recognition capability and an excellent loading capacity. Capturing biotinylated DNA, fluorophores and Au nanoparticles on the GO·streptavidin complexes demonstrates the usefulness of the GO·streptavidin complex as a docking matrix for affinity purification. GO shows a high transparency towards electron beams, making it specifically well suited for direct imaging by electron microscopy. The captured protein complex can be separated via a filtration process or even via on-grid purification and used directly for single-particle analysis via cryo-electron microscopy. Therefore, the purification, sample preparation, and characterization are rolled into one single step. [source] Phototunable Azobenzene Cholesteric Liquid Crystals with 2000 nm RangeADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 21 2009Timothy J. White Abstract Phototuning of more than 2000,nm is demonstrated in an azobenzene-based cholesteric liquid crystal (azo-CLC) consisting of a high-helical-twisting-power, axially chiral bis(azo) molecule (QL76). Phototuning range and rate are compared as a function of chiral dopant concentration, light intensity, and thickness. CLCs composed of QL76 maintain the CLC phase regardless of intensity or duration of exposure. The time necessary for the complete restoration of the original spectral properties (position, bandwidth, baseline transmission, and reflectivity) of QL76-based CLC is dramatically reduced from days to a few minutes by polymer stabilization of the CLC helix. [source] The Selective Heating of Iron Nanoparticles in a Single-Mode Microwave for the Patterned Growths of Carbon Nanofibers and NanotubesADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 8 2009Tamara Druzhinina Abstract The fast and cheap synthesis of carbon nanotubes is addressed in a large number of recent publications. At the same time, microwave-assisted synthesis has also gained interest. Besides the fact that reaction kinetics can be positively influenced by the use of microwave irradiation and advanced reaction conditions can be applied, absorption of microwave radiation depends on the material properties, thus resulting in a selective heating mechanism. The selective heating process allows for locally created temperatures high enough to promote the growth of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes on patterned iron catalyst layers. The resulting fibers are micrometers long, and can be synthesized in short time scales of a few minutes, yielding dense films of carbon fibers with uniform height. Here, the selective heating of surface bound iron nanoparticles is investigated in more detail, and experimental evidence for this effect is provided by utilizing a self-assembled monolayer of n -octadecyltrichlorosilane, which acts as a sensitive indicator for locally elevated temperatures. Special emphasis is placed on the development of an improved and controllable experimental setup that permits the safe and fast fabrication of the desired carbon objects. [source] Temperature-Sensitive Nanocapsules for Controlled Drug Release Caused by Magnetically Triggered Structural DisruptionADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 4 2009Ting-Yu Liu Abstract Self-assembled nanocapsules containing a hydrophilic core and a crosslinked yet thermosensitive shell are successfully prepared using poly(ethylene-oxide)-poly(propylene-oxide)-poly(ethylene-oxide) block copolymers, 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate, gelatin, and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. The core is further rendered magnetic by incorporating iron oxide nanoparticles via internal precipitation to enable externally controlled actuation under magnetic induction. The spherical nanocapsules exhibit a hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic transition at a characteristic but tunable temperature reaching 40,°C, triggering a size contraction and shrinkage of the core. The core content experiences very little leakage at 25,°C, has a half life about 5,h at 45,°C, but bursts out within a few minutes under magnetic heating due to iron oxide coarsening and core/shell disruption. Such burst-like response may be utilized for controlled drug release as illustrated here using a model drug Vitamin B12. [source] Simple Patterning via Adhesion between a Buffered-Oxide Etchant-Treated PDMS Stamp and a SiO2 Substrate,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 13 2007Y.-K. Kim Abstract A very simple polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pattern-transfer method is devised, called buffered-oxide etchant (BOE) printing. The mechanism of pattern transfer is investigated, by considering the strong adhesion between the BOE-treated PDMS and the SiO2 substrate. PDMS patterns from a few micrometers to sub-micrometer size are transferred to the SiO2 substrate by just pressing a stamp that has been immersed in BOE solution for a few minutes. The patterned PDMS layers work as perfect physical and chemical passivation layers in the fabrication of metal electrodes and V2O5 nanowire channels, respectively. Interestingly, a second stamping of the BOE-treated PDMS on the SiO2 substrate pre-patterned with metal as well as PDMS results in a selective transfer of the PDMS patterns only to the bare SiO2. In this way, the fabrication of a device structure consisting of two Au electrodes and V2O5 nanowire network channels is possible; non-ohmic semiconducting I,V characteristics, which can be modeled by serially connected percolation, are observed. [source] Towards automatic structured multiblock mesh generation using improved transfinite interpolationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2008C. B. AllenArticle first published online: 4 OCT 200 Abstract The quality of any numerical flowfield solution is inextricably linked to the quality of the mesh used. It is normally accepted that structured meshes are of higher quality than unstructured meshes, but are much more difficult to generate and, furthermore, for complex topologies a multiblock approach is required. This is the most resource-intensive approach to mesh generation, since block structures, mesh point distributions, etc., need to be defined before the generation process, and so is seldom used in an industrial design loop, particularly where a novice user may be involved. This paper considers and presents two significant advances in multiblock mesh generation: the development of a fast, robust, and improved quality interpolation-based generation scheme and a fully automatic multiblock optimization and generation method. A volume generation technique is presented based on a form of transfinite interpolation, but modified to include improved orthogonality and spacing control and, more significantly, an aspect ratio-based smoothing algorithm that removes grid crossover and results in smooth meshes even for discontinuous boundary distributions. A fully automatic multiblock generation scheme is also presented, which only requires surface patch(es) and a target number of mesh cells. Hence, all user input is removed from the process, and a novice user is able to obtain a high-quality mesh in a few minutes. It also means the code can be run in batch mode, or called as an external function, and so is ideal for incorporation into a design or optimization loop. To demonstrate the power and efficiency of the code, multiblock meshes of up to 256 million cells are presented for wings and rotors in hover and forward flight. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] NETCAP: a capacity planning tool for practical content distribution network designsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2007Sami J. Habib Abstract This paper describes a capacity planning tool NETCAP, which is a prototype software program for automatically planning and integrating application-specific content-distribution networks (CDNs). The CDN integration problem consists of two problems: data management system design problem and network topology design problem. The data management system design problem comprises of the server placement and file allocation problems, where the network topology design problem involves determining the network topology with network technology considerations. The CDN integration problem has been formulated as an optimization problem; where the objective function is to optimize a network topology that satisfies both the servers' access requirements and clients' communications. An evolutionary technique is used in NETCAP to search the design space. The experimental results for a CDN integration problem described here demonstrate the effectiveness of NETCAP in finding good CDN designs from a large design space in a few minutes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Compomers in restorative therapy of children: a literature reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 1 2007NORBERT KRÄMER Objective., The restoration of carious primary teeth plays an underestimated role in paediatric dentistry. This is astonishing for many reasons, not least because many new materials have been introduced in recent years. New or modified techniques and materials, with better aesthetics and flexural properties, allow minimally invasive treatment. A transfer of techniques between different dentitions, however, may be problematic because of both micromorphological differences and compliance. Therefore, this paper deals with options for restoring primary teeth and the early stages of the mixed dentition using polyacid-modified composites, the so-called compomers. Methods., Medline and Embase were scanned from 1990 through 2006. Furthermore, a hand-search of nonlisted but peer-reviewed papers was performed. The search items were compomer*, dent*, primary* and deciduous*, which identified 109 relevant publications. Conclusions., Based on high clinical success rates, compomers are now an effective alternative to other materials for restorative therapy in the anterior and posterior primary teeth. A minimum amount of compliance is still mandatory in order to allow for a few minutes of adhesive pretreatment and layering without contamination. If this is not the case, compomers make no sense. Stainless steel crowns are still the most effective from of restoration for severely decayed primary molars. [source] Room Temperature Highly Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed HydrovinylationADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 18 2009Nicolas Lassauque Abstract At room temperature, nickel catalysts based on the new phosphoramidite (11bR)- N -[(S)-1-(naphthalen-1-yl)ethyl]- N -[(S)-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)ethyl]dinaphtho[2,1- d:1,,2,- f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepin-4-amine provide excellent selectivities for 3-arylbut-1-enes (93,99%) with high enantioselectivities (90,95% ee) and TOFs (up to 8300,h,1) in the hydrovinylation of electron-rich and electron-poor vinylarenes. Within a few minutes, useful chiral building blocks and intermediates can be synthesized using this practical catalytic system. [source] Effect of nicotine on the pelvic afferent nerve activity and bladder pressure in ratsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 8 2009Hitoshi Kontani Objectives: To record afferent nerve activity and bladder pressure in anesthetized male rats and to investigate whether increased afferent nerve activity induced by nicotine is able to evoke reflex bladder contractions. Methods: Using continuous infusion cystometrography, bladder pressure was measured via a bladder cannula. Afferent activity was recorded in the uncut L6 dorsal root. Nicotine was injected intra-arterially through a cannula placed near the bifurcation of the internal iliac artery a few minutes after micturition. Results: Nicotine (0.15,1.5 µmol) evoked a marked elevation of afferent discharge without a simultaneous increase in bladder pressure. Bladder contractions appeared about 43 and 19 s after bolus injection of nicotine at 0.45 and 1.5 µmol, respectively. Firing rates of afferent nerves were reduced when the contraction appeared. Continuous infusion of nicotine at 0.75 µmol/min for 20 min evoked marked elevation of afferent discharge, which was maintained during infusion of nicotine and after it had been withdrawn. Repetitive contractions were observed thereafter and disappeared when the L6 dorsal roots were bilaterally resected. Conclusions: A transient increase in afferent discharges induced by bolus injection of nicotine was unable to evoke reflex bladder contraction. Repetitive bladder contractions after withdrawal of continuous nicotine infusion were induced in a reflex manner by the increased afferent activity. [source] 2007 Presidential Address: Singing and SolidarityJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 2 2008R. STEPHEN WARNER As the audience entered the hall, a large screen displayed the title of the talk from an overhead projector. On the dais, about three feet above the floor, was a lectern, and next to it an arrangement of eight chairs facing each other in a square formation, two on each side of the square, the sides at a 45 degree angle from the side of the platform. At the appointed time, SSSR past-president Donald Miller climbed the steps to the lectern to introduce the speaker, Stephen Warner. When he had completed that task, Warner came forward to the lectern and a woman later identified as his wife, Anne Heider, began working the projector. A few minutes into the address, at Warner's cue, she and six others joined him on the dais, taking seats in the arrangement of chairs, from which position, facing each other with Warner standing facing toward them, they sang a song, as described below. When they were finished, they left the dais, and the rest of the address proceeded in a conventional manner. Prior to this singing demonstration, the address itself began as follows. [source] Nutritional value of cannibalism and the role of starvation and nutrient imbalance for cannibalistic tendencies in a generalist predatorJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2006DAVID MAYNTZ Summary 1Cannibalism is considered an adaptive foraging strategy for animals of various trophic positions, including carnivores. However, previous studies on wolf spiders have questioned the high nutritional value of cannibalism. We therefore analysed two different aspects of nutritional quality of conspecifics in the wolf spider Pardosa prativaga: their value for survival, growth and development; and the growth efficiency of feeding on conspecifics. We also measured the propensity for cannibalistic attacks and the consumption rate of conspecifics in an experiment where hunger level and nutrient balance were manipulated. In all experiments, cannibalism was compared with predation on fruit flies as control prey. 2The growth experiment gave ambiguous results regarding the nutritional quality of conspecifics. Spiders on pure cannibalistic diets split into two distinct groups, one performing much better and the other much worse than spiders on fruit fly diets. We discuss the possibility that the population is dimorphic in its cannibalistic propensity, with the latter group of individuals showing a high level of inhibition against cannibalistic attacks in spite of a high nutritional value of cannibalism. 3The food utilization experiment confirmed the high nutritional quality of conspecifics, as cannibalistic spiders had the same growth rate as spiders fed insect prey in spite of a much lower consumption rate. 4Inhibition against cannibalistic attacks was demonstrated in medium-sized juveniles: only half of the spiders attacked a prescribed victim of 50% the size of their opponents, and the latency for those that did attack was more than half an hour, compared with a few minutes for spiders fed fruit flies. 5Nutrient-imbalanced spiders utilized an alternative insect diet less efficiently than balanced spiders, whereas no difference was present in efficiency of utilizing conspecifics. This result indicates that spiders can remedy at least part of a nutrient imbalance through cannibalism. 6As spiders can escape nutritional imbalance as well as restore energy reserves through cannibalism, we predicted both nutrient imbalance and hunger to stimulate cannibalism. This prediction was confirmed only with respect to hunger. Nutrient-imbalanced spiders had reduced cannibalistic consumption, perhaps due to lowered predatory aggressiveness as a result of bad condition. [source] A comparison of a microfocus X-ray source and a conventional sealed tube for crystal structure determinationJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 5 2009Thomas Schulz Experiments are described in which a direct comparison was made between a conventional 2,kW water-cooled sealed-tube X-ray source and a 30,W air-cooled microfocus source with focusing multilayer optics, using the same goniometer, detector, radiation (Mo,K,), crystals and software. The beam characteristics of the two sources were analyzed and the quality of the resulting data sets compared. The Incoatec Microfocus Source (IµS) gave a narrow approximately Gaussian-shaped primary beam profile, whereas the Bruker AXS sealed-tube source, equipped with a graphite monochromator and a monocapillary collimator, had a broader beam with an approximate intensity plateau. Both sources were mounted on the same Bruker D8 goniometer with a SMART APEX II CCD detector and Bruker Kryoflex low-temperature device. Switching between sources simply required changing the software zero setting of the 2, circle and could be performed in a few minutes, so it was possible to use the same crystal for both sources without changing its temperature or orientation. A representative cross section of compounds (organic, organometallic and salt) with and without heavy atoms was investigated. For each compound, two data sets, one from a small and one from a large crystal, were collected using each source. In another experiment, the data quality was compared for crystals of the same compound that had been chosen so that they had dimensions similar to the width of the beam. The data were processed and the structures refined using standard Bruker and SHELX software. The experiments show that the IµS gives superior data for small crystals whereas the diffracted intensities were comparable for the large crystals. Appropriate scaling is particularly important for the IµS data. [source] High-temperature (1500,K) reciprocal space mapping on a laboratory X-ray diffractometerJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2007R. Guinebretičre A laboratory X-ray diffractometer devoted to the in situ characterization of the microstructure of epitaxic thin films at temperatures up to 1500,K has been developed. The sample holder was built using refractory materials, and a high-accuracy translation stage allows correction of the dilatation of both the sample and the sample holder. The samples are oriented with respect to the primary beam with two orthogonal rotations allowing the registration of symmetric as well as asymmetric reciprocal space maps (RSMs). The association of a monochromatic primary beam and a position-sensitive detector allows the measurement of RSMs in a few minutes for single crystals and in a few hours for imperfect epitaxic thin films. A detailed description of the setup is given and its potential is illustrated by high-temperature RSM experiments performed on yttria-doped zirconia epitaxic thin films grown on sapphire substrates. [source] Studies on the mechanism of rapid activation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation activities, particularly c-Src kinase, by TCDD in MCF10AJOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY, Issue 6 2005Olga Mazina Abstract While the process of the Ah receptor activation leading to cytochrome P450 induction has been well studied, the mechanism and the process through which the Ah receptor activates tyrosine kinases, within a few minutes of its ligand binding, is not known. Previously, it was reported by Tannheimer et al. (Carcinogenesis 1998; 19:1291,1297) that TCDD causes rapid induction of tyrosine phosphorylation activities in the MCF10A human mammary epithelial cell line. To study the mechanistic aspect of this phenomenon, particularly that occurs within a few minutes after administration, we first studied the effect of insulin on MCF10A under serum free conditions with added EGF. The addition of insulin induced a rapid (5 min) tyrosine phosphorylation on several 160,190 kDa proteins which was followed by significant dephosphorylation activities on these proteins by 15 min. TCDD increased the rate of tyrosine phosphorylation on those proteins but at 15 min, the level of phosphorylation was still high. When insulin and TCDD were added together, the ability of insulin to induce de-phosphorylation by 15 min disappeared. Such an action of TCDD was accompanied by an increase in the titer of the activated form of Src kinase (i.e. c-Src protein with 418 tyrosine phosphorylation), and a concomitant decrease in the level of 529 tyrosine phosphorylated form (an inactivated form). The TCDD-induced activation of c-Src could be blocked by pretreated MCF10A cells with antisense oligonucleotides against c-src or with a specific inhibitor of Src kinase, PP-2. These results support the conclusion that c-Src kinase is at least one of the earliest and the most upstream components of toxic signaling of the Ah-receptor activated by TCDD through the post-transcriptional process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 18:313,321, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20041 [source] Comparison of chemical wet scrubbers and biofiltration for control of volatile organic compounds using GC/MS techniques and kinetic analysisJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2005James R Kastner Abstract Increasing public concerns and EPA air regulations in non-attainment zones necessitate the remediation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated in the poultry-rendering industry. Wet scrubbers using chlorine dioxide (ClO2) have low overall removal efficiencies due to lack of reactivity with aldehydes. Contrary to wet scrubbers, a biofilter system successfully treated the aldehyde fraction, based on GC/MS analysis of inlet and outlet streams. Total VOC removal efficiencies ranged from 40 to 100% for the biofilter, kinetic analysis indicated that the overall removal capacity approached 25 g m,3 h,1, and aldehyde removal efficiency was significantly higher compared with chemical wet scrubbers. Process temperatures monitored in critical unit operations upstream from the biofilter varied significantly during operation, rising as much as 30 °C within a few minutes. However, the outlet air temperature of a high intensity scrubber remained relatively constant at 40 °C, although the inlet air temperature fluctuated from 50 to 65 °C during monitoring. These data suggest a hybrid process combining a wet scrubber and biofilter in series could be used to improve overall VOC removal efficiencies and process stability. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Electrolytic removal of ammonia from brine wastewater: scale-up, operation and pilot-scale evaluationJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Catalino G Alfafara Abstract Brine wastewater with a high ammonia content from an iodine processing plant (commonly called kansui in Japan) was treated by electrolysis. The system, which can be considered as an indirect electrolytic treatment process, generates chlorine at the anodes and initiates the formation of mixed oxidants like hypochlorous acid. The oxidants then act as agents for ammonia destruction. Laboratory-scale experiments showed that high ammonia concentrations (as much as 200 mg dm,3) could be completely removed within a few minutes, and could be considered a good alternative for efficient ammonia removal from saline wastewaters. From laboratory-scale experiments in the batch and continuous modes, the charge dose was analyzed and used as the operating and scale-up factor. The value of the charge dose was not severely affected by changes in operating conditions such as electrode spacing and temperature. The charge dose from batch and continuous runs was found to be in the range of 23 C (mg NH4 -N removed),1 to 29 C (mg NH4 -N removed),1. Using the charge dose obtained from laboratory-scale continuous electrolysis experiments as the scale-up factor, a pilot-scale reactor was designed, and the operating conditions were calculated. In the pilot-scale reactor tests at different flow rates, the effluent ammonia concentrations were reasonably close to the calculated values predicted from the charge dose equation. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Quick Screening of Crystal Methamphetamine/Methyl Sulfone Exhibits by Raman SpectroscopyJOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 4 2010Robert G. Weston M.Sc. Abstract:, The analysis of mixtures of "crystal meth" (usually comprised of methyl sulfone [MS] and methamphetamine [MA]) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) is routine in many forensic drug laboratories. The utilization of Raman spectroscopy for the identification of such mixtures quickly and without the need for a separation technique is discussed. Samples were dissolved in water and Raman spectra of the resulting aqueous solutions were collected. By comparing these spectra to spectra of methylsulfone and MA mixtures of known composition, an indication of the composition of the sample can be obtained in only a few minutes. This spectral comparison also can be used as a semi-quantitative analysis of MA concentrations in such exhibits. [source] Synthesis and biological evaluation of new benzo[f]furo[2,3- h]-and benzo[f]pyrano[2,3- h]coumarin derivatives. ,JOURNAL OF HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2007Maria Tsoukka Furocoumarins 3,5 and pyranocoumarin 7 were synthesized from the reaction of furonaphthalenediones 2,4 and pyranonaphthalenedione 6 respectively with carbethoxymethylene(triphenyl)phosphorane in refluxing DCM for 3-6 hours or under microwave irradiation in toluene for a few minutes. Compounds 3,5,7 and their precursors were tested as anti-inflammatory/antioxidant agents. They were found to compete significantly high DMSO for OH radicals, to scavenge O2, and to inhibit lipoxygenase to a high extent. [source] Developmental strategy of the endoparasite Xenos vesparum (strepsiptera, Insecta): Host invasion and elusion of its defense reactionsJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 7 2007Fabio Manfredini Abstract To successfully complete its endoparasitic development, the strepsipteran Xenos vesparum needs to elude the defense mechanisms of its host, the wasp Polistes dominulus. SEM and TEM observations after artificial infections allow us to outline the steps of this intimate host,parasite association. Triungulins, the mobile 1st instar larvae of this parasite, are able to "softly" overcome structural barriers of the larval wasp (cuticle and epidermis) without any traumatic reaction at the entry site, to reach the hemocoel where they settle. The parasite molts 48 h later to a 2nd instar larva, which moves away from the 1st instar exuvium, molts twice more without ecdysis (a feature unique to Strepsiptera) and pupates, if male, or develops into a neotenic female. Host encapsulation involves the abandoned 1st larval exuvium, but not the living parasite. In contrast to the usual process of encapsulation, it occurs only 48 h after host invasion or later, and without any melanization. In further experiments, first, we verified Xenos vesparum's ability to reinfect an already parasitized wasp larva. Second, 2nd instar larvae implanted in a new host did not evoke any response by hemocytes. Third, we tested the efficiency of host defense mechanisms by implanting nylon filaments in control larval wasps, excluding any effect due the dynamic behavior of a living parasite; within a few minutes, we observed the beginning of a typical melanotic encapsulation plus an initial melanization in the wound site. We conclude that the immune response of the wasp is manipulated by the parasite, which is able to delay and redirect encapsulation towards a pseudo-target, the exuvia of triungulins, and to elude hemocyte attack through an active suppression of the immune defense and/or a passive avoidance of encapsulation by peculiar surface chemical properties. J. Morphol., 2007 © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Maintaining Cell Sensitivity to G-Protein Coupled Receptor Agonists: Neurotensin and the Role of Receptor Gene ActivationJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 5 2001F. Souazé Abstract In the last few years, a number of studies have brought new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of cell desensitization and internalization of G-protein coupled receptors. Such studies have demonstrated that cells remain desensitized from a few minutes to several hours, after exposure to high concentrations of agonist. However, in vivo, agonists such as hormones are always present, even in small amounts, and such long desensitization is not conceivable, since constant stimulation of cells is required for physiological responses. Under such circumstances, cells would require a means to permanently maintain sensitivity to various internal or external stimuli. In the present review, we have taken as an example the expression of the high affinity neurotensin receptor, a seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor, upon prolonged exposure to its agonist, and observed that cells remained sensitive only if the receptor gene was activated by the agonist. Consequently, new receptors were synthesized, and either delivered to the cell surface or accumulated in submembrane pools. This regulation takes place only after prolonged and intense agonist stimulation. Under these conditions, it is proposed that receptor turnover is accelerated in proportion to the agonist concentration in order to allow the cells to produce an adapted cellular response to external stimuli. Such mechanisms thus play a key role in cell sensitivity to hormones. [source] Radiation dose optimized lateral expansion of the field of view in synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopyJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2010David Haberthür Volumetric data at micrometer level resolution can be acquired within a few minutes using synchrotron-radiation-based tomographic microscopy. The field of view along the rotation axis of the sample can easily be increased by stacking several tomograms, allowing the investigation of long and thin objects at high resolution. On the contrary, an extension of the field of view in the perpendicular direction is non-trivial. This paper presents an acquisition protocol which increases the field of view of the tomographic dataset perpendicular to its rotation axis. The acquisition protocol can be tuned as a function of the reconstruction quality and scanning time. Since the scanning time is proportional to the radiation dose imparted to the sample, this method can be used to increase the field of view of tomographic microscopy instruments while optimizing the radiation dose for radiation-sensitive samples and keeping the quality of the tomographic dataset on the required level. This approach, dubbed wide-field synchrotron radiation tomographic microscopy, can increase the lateral field of view up to five times. The method has been successfully applied for the three-dimensional imaging of entire rat lung acini with a diameter of 4.1,mm at a voxel size of 1.48,µm. [source] Image processing pipeline for synchrotron-radiation-based tomographic microscopyJOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 4 2010C. Hintermüller With synchrotron-radiation-based tomographic microscopy, three-dimensional structures down to the micrometer level can be visualized. Tomographic data sets typically consist of 1000 to 1500 projections of 1024 × 1024 to 2048 × 2048 pixels and are acquired in 5,15,min. A processing pipeline has been developed to handle this large amount of data efficiently and to reconstruct the tomographic volume within a few minutes after the end of a scan. Just a few seconds after the raw data have been acquired, a selection of reconstructed slices is accessible through a web interface for preview and to fine tune the reconstruction parameters. The same interface allows initiation and control of the reconstruction process on the computer cluster. By integrating all programs and tools, required for tomographic reconstruction into the pipeline, the necessary user interaction is reduced to a minimum. The modularity of the pipeline allows functionality for new scan protocols to be added, such as an extended field of view, or new physical signals such as phase-contrast or dark-field imaging etc. [source] Effect of the Growth Treatment on Two-Stage Nucleation ExperimentsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 3 2001Mark J. Davis Numerical simulations are presented that document the strong effect of a previously underappreciated portion of two-stage thermal treatments used in the study of nucleation processes: the "heat-up" process whereby samples are heated from "nucleation" conditions to "growth" conditions. The simulations indicate that two limiting regimes exist, dependent on (a) the cluster size distribution of as-quenched glasses, (b) the temperatures used for nucleation and growth, and (c) the rates of heating and cooling: (1) all clusters larger than the critical size at growth conditions (n*gr) will grow to macroscopic size (the "standard" case); and (2) all clusters larger than the critical size at nucleation conditions (n*nuc) will grow to macroscopic size. In addition, cases in which the "effective critical size" (n*eff) is intermediate between n*gr and n*nuc can also occur. Cases in which n*eff < n*gr is manifested during nucleation experiments as an abrupt boost in crystal number density during the heat-up from nucleation to growth conditions, as all clusters larger than n*eff are rapidly "flushed" past n*gr. For the system studied herein, this can lead to a 106 -fold increase in final number density within seconds to a few minutes. Finally, the importance of structural relaxation for this process is demonstrated by examining a case in which the nucleation temperature is below the nominal glass transition temperature. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||